Persons who spend extended periods of time out of doors, for example hunters, fishermen, backpackers, military personnel, and persons engaged in certain occupations, require means to accommodate changes in climatic or other conditions, including precipitation, wind, temperature changes, and biting insects. Many garments are available to mitigate against these conditions, and must be carried or otherwise kept near at hand for use as and when required. The design and nature of these standby garments impose additional bulk, weight, and cost on such persons. The most common standby garments are articles of rainwear, which often suffer from the additional drawback of poor ventilation, causing the wearer's other garments to become wet with perspiration, especially when the wearer is exerting physical effort. Special purpose fabrics which permit the passage of perspiration while blocking the ingress of water have been developed to overcome this problem, but they are typically costly and difficult to seal along seams. Other designs incorporate protected ventilation openings, commonly under the arms or across the back, but these are fixed in nature, sometimes providing too little ventilation, at other times too much.
The present invention is a garment system which provides a more economical, lighter weight, more compact, and comfortable solution to the requirements of such persons. The economy of the present system stems from its use of commonly available, inexpensive fabrics, and from a design which minimizes the length of exposed seams which require sealing. The weight and bulk reduction is achieved by constructing the two-part foundation garment, namely the shirt-jacket and pant, with certain permanently affixed, waterproof or water-resistant panels, which simultaneously serve to provide pockets, to protect against abrasion in critical areas, and to prevent ingress of moisture from wet ground vegetation or a wet seat, without significantly impairing the breathability of other parts of said foundation garments or causing the wearer to become excessively warm in hot weather. Said panels allow full protection against precipitation, wind etc. to be achieved with the detachable addition of shingling a removable yoke, a removable, optional hood, and removable chaps, which removable components are considerably less bulky and lighter than a separate, full rainsuit. The compact nature of said system is enhanced by the provision, in said foundation garment, of pockets capable of stowing said removable components. Finally, comfort is assured through the use of an appropriate fabric for all portions of said foundation garment in contact with the wearer's skin or undergarments, and by providing adjustable ventilation openings in said foundation garment and between said foundation garment and said removable components.
Hunters in particular may find the present garment system superior when constructed of fabrics printed with a camouflage pattern, since said yoke and hood can, if so constructed, be reversed to expose a blaze orange lining when required by law or when otherwise prudent. In addition, hunters require quiet non-rustling carry-along rainwear, precluding the use of lightweight waterproof fabric, for example coated nylon, and therefore placing a premium on compact design of any rainwear constructed of quieter but necessarily bulkier fabric.